Contents Policy Learning and its Limits in the 1. Institutional Change and Policy Learning Open Method of Co ordination Open Method of Co-ordination 2. The Impact of the OMC on the German Labour Market Reforms 3. How to Improve Mutual Learning. Initiatives During the German Presidency Gabriele Bischoff, Martin Heidenreich 4. Conclusion and Sascha Zirra and Sascha Zirra S Seminar on Learning and New Social Governance, i L i d N S i l G 30-31 August 2007, Brussels The Achilles Heel of the OMC: Its Impact on The Achilles Heel of the OMC: Its Impact on 1. Institutional Change and Policy Learning the Domestic Level The Debate on the OMC 1. Can national employment and social regimes be influenced at all by transnational organisations? OMC as learning device : OMC as soft, deliberative, „post- a) regulatory regulation“ facilitating learning due to l t l ti “ f ilit ti l i d t 2. How are external interventions in domestic institutions benchmarking, „naming and shaming“, „peer pressure“ possible? OMC sceptical view : OMC as soft law; no sanctions, no OMC-sceptical view : OMC as soft law; no sanctions no b) b) 3. How did the EES intervene in German labour market „shadow of the law” => fundamental asymmetry between reforms? positive and negative integration (Scharpf) => OMC as „red herring” (Idema/Keleman) h i ” (Id /K l ) OMC as intervention : Empirical limits and difficulties to c) attain the common goals; implementation difficulties; “long attain the common goals; implementation difficulties; long and vulnerable implementation chain“
b) Labour market and welfare regimes a) a) Neoinstitutional and learning theories Neoinstitutional and learning theories as relative closed systems • Neo-institutional approaches: Social systems adjust by force, • „ Institutions are socially constructed, routine-reproduced (ceteris imitation or normative pressure to demands of institutional p paribus), program or rule systems. They operate as relative fixtures ib ) l h l i fi environment => isomorphism (“a constraining process that of constraining environments and are accompanied by taken-for- forces one unit in a population to resemble other units”) granted accounts.“ (Jepperson 1991) • Globalizing impact on nation states : “the rise of global • Globalizing impact on nation-states : the rise of global • Institutional complementarity : „One set of institutions is models of nationally organized progress and justice“ complementary to another when its presence raises the returns (Meyer), spread by transnational organisations, professions available from the other” (Hall/Gingerich 2002) and social movements, which expose the nation-state to the and social movements which expose the nation state to the • Path dependencies: „historical sequences in which contingent events pressure of global models set into motion institutional patterns or event chains that have • OMC as learning : Learning as acquisition of new interests deterministic properties“ (Mahoney 2000) and preferences. „contextual, fuzzy and 'bottom-up' d f l f d 'b ' ⇒ Punctuated equilibrium model of institutional change: Distinction benchmarking, as in the EES is more effective in influencing between long periods of institutional stasis periodically interrupted the operating conditions of policies, especially when by some sort of exogenous shock that opens things up, allowing for combined with measurable indicators and quantitative more or less radical reorganization (Streeck/Thelen 2005) l di l i i (S k/Th l 2005) targets, and efficient monitoring agencies.“ ⇒ Minimal impact of the OMC on the change of domestic employment ( (Hemerijck/Visser) j ) and welfare reforms Structural coupling between the European and national c) Institutional change as gradual process c) Institutional change as gradual process fields • Change not as a sequence of different equilibria but as a continuous How can European policies shape national discourses, identities and process process policies? => Structural coupling : Creation of systematic forms of “irritation” li i ? C ti f t ti f f “i it ti ” S l li • Institutional orders are not consistent, coherent, consensually-shared, but between two relatively autonomous social fields (“Europeanization”) a provisional compromise between divergent, potentially conflicting • Strategic dimension (rational calculation of the consequences of action): interests and perceptions. i t t d ti Financial incentives : structural funds, new programmes for employment and • Institutional regimes are hybrid connections of different logics and social solidarity; Power : Enhancement of the Member States’ ownership of regulatory principles the reform processes: “political ownership” at the highest levels (Mr./Ms. • Institutional change by the mobilisation of the internal heterogeneity of Lisbon) institutional orders and hitherto peripheral or marginal interests, actors • Normative dimension (logic of appropriateness): No legal obligations; and rules recognition of the limited role of sanctions recognition of the limited role of sanctions • Five types of gradual change: Displacement, layering, drift, conversion, • Cognitive dimension (patterns of interpretation and perception): Mutual exhaustion learning limited to high-ranking national and European officials; change of • Institutions as arenas for social action, for bargaining, power and Institutions as arenas for social action, for bargaining, power and policy outlooks and analyses; provision of convincing examples; policy outlooks and analyses; provision of convincing examples; exchange relations bureaucratically-administered processes of participation; only limited => External factors may shape internal distribution of power, of interests and involvement of national parliaments, social partners, civil society of ideas of ideas
The influence of the OMC on domestic reform policies. E Empirical results i i l l Structural coupling between European and national fields 1. Learning with the OMC (cognitive dimension) • “a learning process for a limited community of labour market technicians and Bureaucratic, B ti experts.” (Casey/Gold) t ” (C /G ld) European council Commission consensus-oriented, • „limited evidence of direct policy transfer” (Zeitlin) professional • But: reframing of national discourses coordination Committees (EMCO, SPC …) Committees (EMCO SPC ) 2 2. Financial incentives and participation (strategic dimension) Financial incentives and participation (strategic dimension) • European Social Fund: Impact not clear • Strengthening of hitherto marginal perspectives and actors by required involvement of regions, communes, social partners, NGOs integrate multiple involvement of regions communes social partners NGOs integrate multiple Impact at the national Impact at the national perspectives: Mainly in the field of social inclusion level: Learning, visions, 3. The OMC as a challenge for existing administrative procedures and rules participation, money Normative, cognitive (normative dimension) and power and strategic forms of g structural ´coupling • New policies require new forms of administration and policy making • The OMC „have stimulated improvements in horizontal or cross-sectoral Nation-state 1 Nation-state 2 integration across formally separated but practically interdependent policy Different ministries Different ministries fields ” (Zeitlin 2005: 457) fields. (Zeitlin 2005: 457) Regions, social partners, civil society… Regions, social partners, civil society… • Better interministerial coordination => The OMC have initiated processes of domestic institutional change in the cognitive strategic and normative dimension cognitive, strategic and normative dimension Normative dimension: The co-ordination of the 2. An Example for the Possibilities and Limits of German NAP/employment until 2004 Learning within the EES: The German Hartz Reforms • Employment policy is still coordinated within the confines of the domestically evolved field of labour market policy domestically evolved field of labour-market policy – Labour-market instead of employment policy (education, family ...) – Stability of former patterns of communication (FMEL, BA, social partners, Länder ...) – Coordination within the epistemic community of labour market experts – Consultation with actors from outside the field remains an exception. p – Three core associations of municipalities unable to provide the organizational capacities for a stronger participation – Reduction of veto positions (with the exception of social partners); no – Reduction of veto positions (with the exception of social partners); no involvement of a wider circle of actors in a broader employment strategy; lower involvement of municipalities and regions • 2005 NRP D 2005 NRP: Domestic coordination only at the governmental level, ti di ti l t th t l l l no involvement of NGOs and social partners (better again in 2006. But: NRP as a strategic, i.e. a governmental document) g g ) Quelle: Kemmerling, Achim and Oliver Bruttel. New Politics in German Labour Market Policy? WZB discussion paper. February 2005, S. 3
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